Snubbing Christie comes easy to Springsteen

Governor Chris Christie got what he deserved. The New York Times called it a "very public snub". As my taste run more to bluegrass, about the only genre of popular music that still demands instrumental virtuosity, I'm less than impressed to learn that Springsteen is ranked the 96th Greatest Guitarist ever by Rolling Stone. Ninety-sixth! Of course Springsteen didn't make it with his guitar and I can understand his appeal to millions. He is estimated to have sold more than 120 million albums worldwide. If you are left of center it's trendy just to mention his name because just his knowing name confers an intimate membership on the speaker to the small cadre of, say 50 million or so fans, who hunger and thirst for social justice. Yes, Springsteen speaks for the common man but his appeal is to yuppies. From The Atlantic:

We are in a luxury suite at the Prudential Center—the Rock—in downtown Newark, the sort of suite accessible only to the American plutocracy, from which Springsteen seems to draw a surprisingly large proportion of his most devoted fans. (I know of three separate groups of one-percenters who recently flew in private jets to see Springsteen perform at Madison Square Garden.) Certainly not many residents of Newark could afford such a box, and the shrimp and steak that come with it.

The Boss has made it clear he has no love for him but Christie but is a freaking groupie

Despite heroic efforts by Christie, Springsteen, who is still a New Jersey resident, will not talk to him. They’ve met twice—once on an airplane in 1999, and then at the 2010 ceremony inducting Danny DeVito into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, where they exchanged only formal pleasantries. (Christie does say that Springsteen was very kind to his children.) At concerts, even concerts in club-size venues—the Stone Pony, in Asbury Park, most recently—Springsteen won’t acknowledge the governor. When Christie leaves a Springsteen concert in a large arena, his state troopers move him to his motorcade through loading docks. He walks within feet of the stage, and of the dressing rooms. He’s never been invited to say hello. On occasion, he’ll make a public plea to Springsteen, as he did earlier this spring, when Christie asked him to play at a new casino in Atlantic City. “He says he’s for the revitalization of the Jersey Shore, so this seems obvious,” Christie told me. I asked him if he’s received a response to his request. “No, we got nothing back from them,” he said unhappily, “not even a ‘Fuck you.’”

Had Christie been a recent convert to Springsteenism one might think he more than deserved the backhand but the governor has attended a mind numbing 129 Springsteen concerts. Talk about a narrow range in taste! Did he ever throw his boxer shorts on stage? This Fallon-Springsteen skit must have hit Christie like a Wrecking Ball.